Cotton conveyor blower



ic. R. HAGEN COTTON CONVEYOR BLOWER May 4, 1943.

Filed June 29, 1944 INVENTOR. ZZare7wr BY MO Patented May 4, 1948 oo'r'ron convaron BLOWER Clarence R. Hagen, Chicago. 111., assignor to International Harvester Company,

of New Jersey a corporation Application June 29, 1944, Serial No. 542,772 2 Claims. (Cl. 302-37) i This invention has to do with a pneumatic system for the transfer of seed cotton and relates more in particular to a novel blower device by .and through which the cotton-laden air is propelled.

The invention is particularly useful in a pneumatic system for conveying cotton from a mechanical cotton picking unit to a cotton receptacle transported with the unit across a field of cotton plants being harvested. A characteristic of cardinal importance in the operation of a fan or blower in such a system is that it shall not cause the cotton seeds to strike or be struck by any surface with. sufiicient impact to be broken or cracked thereby. when the hard impervious bodying the principles of the present invention and a receptacle for seed cotton discharged from the blower;

Fig. 2- is a horizontal sectional view taken through the blower on the line 2-2 of Figs. 1

and3;

surfaces of seeds are ruptured the oil leaks out,

making them less valuable to seed processing mills and also discoloring the cotton whereby its grade ficient gentleness to avoid breaking their shells.

This is accomplished by constructing the blower so the blades of its rotor are prevented from striking the cotton and the seeds.

More specific objects include the provision of:

A novel blower casing with a vestibule spaced axially from the rotor and into which the seed cotton is introduced for deflection into the main part oi the casing in a zone radially outwardly from the rotor while the air is directed axially into the rotor.

A novel blower casing with an inlet spaced axially from the rotor and directed transversely of the rotor axis whereby the momentum of seed cotton entering the inlet will cause the cotton to be introduced into the rotor-containing part of the casing within a zone radially outwardly from the rotor blades.

An improved radially slotted guard upon the air entrance end of the rotor to positively exclude the seed cotton from between the fan blades. The radial slots in the guard member increase its ability to prevent accumulation of cotton fibers and lint which would tend to fill the slots and decrease the amount of air pumped by the rotor.

The above and other desirable objects inherent in and encompassed by the invention will be better understood upon reading the ensuing description with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevational view illustrating the left rear traction wheel of a tractor together with the mounting adiacently thereto of a blower em- Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely through the blower at the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view taken on theline 4-4 of Fig. 3 and illustrating an edge of the blower rotor and of th slotted guard member attached thereto.

The blower device generally designated Ill is shown in Fig. 1 upon the left rear portion of a tractor Ill. The tractor has a left rear axle housing II with a. depending casing it at its outer end for the housing of gears (not shown) which drive an axle (not shown) which in turn drives a traction wheel IS. The usual differential housing for the'tractor is shown in part at it,

The blower is supported upon a frame structure Iii mounted upon and extending rearwardly from the rear axle housing ii, this frame structure serving as a base for a. standard structure It for supporting a cotton receptacle 3!. Standard i6 comprises a pair of fore and aft spaced angle members I6! and IE2. This receptacle is shown in full lines in its dumping position and in dotted lines in its filling position where a hooded portion ll of the cover for the receptacle is disposed communicatively with the upper end of a delivery spout lid leading upwardly from the discharge section of the blower ill,

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the casing for the blower can be seen to comprise a generally cylindrical wall Hi circumferentially about and radially spaced from a bladed rotor 12L A vestibule I22 of the blower is disposed between that part of the casing surrounded by the cylindrical wall H9 and the inlet H2. A circular opening I23 in the rear end wall 4 of the main part of the casing within the cylindrical wall H9 provides communication between the vestibule and the main part of the casing.

The rotor l2l is fixed for rotation with a shaft I25 rotatable within a bearing I26 carried within the front wall l2! of the casing. This rotor comprises six impeller blades I28 secured to and extending radially from the shaft I25. blades are secured at their front edges to an end plate I29 which assists in maintaining them in their equal angular radiating relation. A circular wire rod iii passes through rearward por- These 'tions of the blades near their outer ends, and this member assists the plate I 29 in maintaining the blades in the desired formation. The circular rod I3I also provides a support for radiating elements I32 of a fan guard assembly I33. Said elements I32 are folded into shape from elongated strips of sheet metal, elongated center sections of the strips forming spaced segments I34 of the conical guard assembly, while opposite edge portions of the strips from which these members I32 are formed are carried together and are perforated for receiving the rod I3I; see Fig. 4. Each of the blades I28 is supplied with a pair of angle members I35 with the shorter legs of these angle members turned in opposite directions, as illustrated in Fig. 4, to complementally form a surface corresponding to the segmental surfaces I34 of the elements I32. The entire assembly is conical with the radiating slots I36 between the radial elements I32. The inner ends of the elements I32 are held against an enlarged rear end portion of the shaft I25 by a cap I31, Fig. 2, and a cap screw I38 turned into the back end of said shaft.

In the operation of the blower, the rotating rotor discharges air centrifugally against the cylindrical wall I I9, the rotation of the fan being counter-clockwise as viewed from the rear in Fig. 3 so that this discharged air is impelled tangentially upwardly from the casing through the vertical outlet H8. The air thus discharged from the spaces between the fan blades is replaced by air forced by the atmosphere into a cotton picking unit (not shown) disposed forwardly of the right rear axle housing (not shown) of the tractor, and thence through a conduit H3 which communicates between said picking unit and the blower inlet II2. Those parts just referred to as not shown are clearly illustrated in copending application Serial No. 542,770, of Clarence R. Hagen and Louis E. Nickla. Of course, that air conducted through the conduit II 3 into the blower is laden with seed cotton when the picking unit is being operated in a cotton field.

Inlet H2 is arranged transversely of the axis of the rotor I2I whereby the inertia of the cotton has a tendency to cause this cotton to impinge against a deflector wall 2 and thence to move radially and axially of the rotor and conical guard, through the opening I23 in the rear wall of the main part of the casing, and thence onto the cylindrical wall I I9 without engaging or being struck by the fan blades and without striking the guard member or assembly other than with a glancing impact. There can be no striking of the seed cotton being picked by the fan blades I28, since the radial slots I36-in the guard assembly are too narrow for permitting cotton to enter these slots although the air entering the blower does pass through these slots into the space between the fan blades from where it .is centrifugally ejected.

It is important that the seeds in the picked cotton shall not be broken or cracked by the fan blades. The seeds which are only partly broken by being cracked will lose some of their oil which discolors the cotton and thereby lowers its grade and selling price. Cracked seeds because of this loss of oil are also less valuable to cotton-seed processing mills since their yield of oil will be less. By employing the guard assembly I33, as herein illustrated, and by introducing the seed cotton into the vestibule I22 of the fan casing transversely of the rotor axis and angularly to encountered surfaces of said guard assembly, the

cottonseeds are handled sufliciently gently to avoid breakage. ,i-

It has been found that by making theconical I guard member or assembly I33 with the radiatin slots I36, the guard member will avoid acciifnulating cotton fibers and lint. It can be observed in Fig. 3 that the radiating slots I36 increase in width from the center to the outer perimeter of the guard member which is a factor further increasing the difliculty with which fiber or lint particles could cling to the sides of the radiating slots I36. There must be no accumulation of foreign particles within the slots of the guard member for, if these slotted openings were closed, the fan or blower would become ineffective or its efliciency very materially reduced.

Opposite end plates I14 (of which one is shown in Fig. 1) depend from the brim of the basket portion of the receptacle, and these end'plates are joumaled upon opposite ends of a rod -I15 carried in said uprights I6I and I62 of the standard structure. This pivotal connection between the basket and the upper end-s of the standard uprights I6I and I62 normally supports the basket in the dotted line position, with a bottom portion of the basket resting upon footing braces I68 for said uprights, but allows pivoting of the r-eceptacle to the full line position of Fig. 1.

Dumping of the receptacle is brought about by a hydraulic ram or motor I11 comprising a cylinder I18 having its lower end pivotally connected to a channel cross-piece I19 anchored to the lower ends of the standard uprights I6I and I62 and a piston rod I8I pivotally connected with the outer wall of the receptacle by means of a pin I82 anchored within a pair of fore and aft reenforcing plates I 83, which are secured to the outer wall of the basket. When fluid is introduced into the lower end of the cylinder I18, 2. piston therein (not shown) will be forced upwardly and thereby will force the piston rod I8I upwardly for pivoting the basket into the dumping position. Normally relaxed helical springs I84 (one being shown) connected between the standards I6l and I62 and the basket, become distended when the receptacle approaches a poised position and con- -tinue to be distended when the basket reaches the over-center dumping position illustrated in solid lines, whereby these springs cause the receptacle to pivot clockwise from the dumping position toward the filling position when fluid is allowed to escape from the lower end of the motor cylinder I18. These springs continue to act upon the receptacle after it has passed the over-center position when returning to the filling position so as to accelerate the return of the basket and thereby minimize the time required for dumping.

A linkage is provided for causing the cover I5I of the receptacle to pivot about hinges I 89 connecting the inner edge of this cover member with the basket brim, when the receptacle is pivoted to the dumping position. When so pivoted, the cover member is opened with respect to the basket so that the cotton is readily dumpable from the basket into a wagon box, or the like, which may be driven up alongside of the machine. The linkage for opening the cover I5I includes double legged brackets I8I secured to opposite ends of the cover member and links I92 respectively pivotally attached to ears I93 on these brackets I! and having a sliding connection with respective pins I94 pivotally anchored in arms I95 which are fixed to opposite ends of the, non-rotatable rod I15. These links I92 have heads I96 on their outer ends for abutment with the pivotal pins I94,

as illustrated in Fig, 1, prior to the receptacle reaching the dumping position. Continued counter-clockwise movement of the receptacle, as viewed in Fig. 1, shortly prior to reaching the dumping position and after the links I92 can move no farther upwardly, will cause the links to pull downwardly on the ears I93 and the brackets I9| for causing the cover member to pivot about the pivot pins of its hinges I89 into the opened position. When the receptacle is returned toward the filling position, the links I92 will slide downwardly into the holes therefor in the pins I94, permitting the cover to close upon the top of the receptacle by the force of gravity.

The cover I5! of the receptacle 3i is arched between its inner and outer edges. This arched portion of the cover embodies a grille (clearly illustrated in said copending application Serial No. 542,770) which extends into the upper part of the hood I! and hence over the upper end of the spout 8 when the receptacle is in the filling position. Cotton-laden air propelled upwardly through the spout II8 strikes the under side of the aforesaid grill which deflects the cotton into the receptacle while permitting the air and trash particles to be discharged into the atmosphere through the grille.

The blower constituting the invention has been shown with other apparatus where it has special utility, with the view of more vividly illustrating the invention. Those interested in claims directed to the apparatus collateral to the invention should refer to copending applications Serial Nos.

542,770, 542,773, and 542,774. Serial No 542,773 has matured into Patent No. 2,401,152, granted May 28, 1946.

I claim:

1. In a pneumatic system for the transfer of seed cotton, a blower comprising a bladed rotor which draws air into an inlet end thereof when rotating; a casing for said rotor, said casing in cluding a wall extending circumferentially about which draws air into an inlet end thereof when rotating; a radially .slotted conical guard member of which the base is at least substantially as great in diameter as the rotor and secured coaxially to the rotor over the inlet end thereof while the apex end of such guard member projects ,outwardly therefrom; and a casing for said rotor and guard member, comprising a wall extending circumferentially about the rotor in radially spaced relation therewith, a discharge passage communicative with the space between the rotor and said wall, a conical vestibule coaxially about said guard member, said conical vestibule having an open base end at least substantially as great in diameter as said rotor and disposed in opposed axially spaced relation therewith for direct communication with the space between the rotor and the circumferential wall, and a vestibule inlet passage having a transverse expanse substantially equal to the altitude of the conical vestibule and extending diametrically thereof with an inner side adjacent f to the vestibule base and with an outer side extending diametrically across said guardmember at its apex and in spacedrelation therewith axially of said guard member.

CLARENCE R. HAGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the I file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Crites Jan. 13,1942 

